The arrest of Army General Gabriel Duop Lam, a senior figure from South Sudan’s main opposition party has been described as a “grave violation” of the peace deal that ended a five-year civil war according to a spokesperson for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO). General Lam along with other senior officials affiliated with the SPLM-IO, was detained earlier this week amid escalating tensions in the region.
These officials are allies of Vice-President Riek Machar whose longstanding rift with President Salva Kiir ignited a devastating conflict in 2013. The SPLM-IO spokesperson Puok Both Baluang expressed concerns about the lack of information regarding the whereabouts of the detained officials. “We are doing our best to avoid any escalation to the situation; however, we need our partners in peace to demonstrate the political will to assure that this country will not go back to war,” Baluang stated.
In response, President Kiir maintained that South Sudan would not return to war with government spokesperson Michael Makuei insisting that the arrests were made because the opposition figures were “in conflict with the law.”
Since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan has faced significant challenges including a civil war that erupted just two years later after Kiir dismissed his cabinet and accused Machar of orchestrating a coup. The conflict resulted in approximately 400,000 deaths and displaced 2.5 million people. A peace agreement reached in 2018 aimed to restore stability but has remained precarious.
General Lam, who oversees the military wing of the SPLM-IO was taken into custody earlier this week while Oil Minister Puot Kang Chol was reportedly seized by security forces during the night. Additionally, Machar’s residence in Juba was briefly surrounded by troops from the South Sudanese army before the situation was de-escalated.
The deteriorating security landscape follows reports that the White Army militia, which allied with Machar during the civil war seized control of a strategic town in Upper Nile state. Accusations have arisen from Kiir’s loyalists, claiming that Machar’s allies are providing support to the rebels.
Baluang asserted that the recent escalation of violence including clashes between the White Army and government troops, “would have been avoided” if the national army’s leadership had adhered to the peace agreement.
Both the United Nations and the African Union have issued warnings that violence in the region could spread and further destabilize the fragile peace. Ter Manyang, director of the Juba-based Center for Peace and Advocacy, emphasized that unless top leadership effectively manages the situation, the country risks sliding back into war.
As South Sudan prepares for its first elections scheduled for 2026 after years of delays, the urgency for a stable political environment has never been greater.
